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Saturday, 13 February 2016

CBI raids SPA registrar's house in NIPER scam

TNN | Feb 13, 2016, 09.22 AM IST

Bhopal/Chandigarh: CBI on Friday searched residential premises of Rajesh
Moza, the registrar of School of Planning and Architecture (SPA),
Bhopal, during simultaneous raids at 22 locations across the country in
connection with misappropriation of funds in National Institute of
Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali.

Moza was posted in NIPER Mohali before being elevated as registrar of
SPA. When contacted, Moza told TOI that he was questioned by the CBI
officials in connection with NIPER case. "It's true that I was posted
there but I have nothing to do with the scam," he told TOI.
CBI had swooped down on NIPER in Sector 67 of Mohali and booked its
officiating director KK Bhutani and eight others for allegedly diverting
Rs 2.25 crore meant for the establishment of an intellectual property
rights (IPR) department in the institute. Former NIPER director Prof P
Ramarao, who holds the post of dean in Bathinda Central University,
Punjab, was among those booked under various sections of forgery and
cheating of the Indian Penal Code and sections of Prevention of
Corruption (PC) Act, 1988. The others were identified as wing commander
PJP Singh Waraich (rtd), registrar M Josh, finance and accounts officer
Bhupinder Singh, former registrar Hardeep Singh, budget and accounts
section officer Rajesh Moza, head of department of pharmaceuticals Prof
Arvind Bansal and former dean Saranjeet Singh. The raids began early
morning at the offices and houses of the NIPER officials at more than 22
places in Chandigarh, Mohali, Kurukshetra, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram,
New Delhi, Bhopal and Bathinda among others.
The agency seized more than 80 files related to budget and funds from
the administrative building of NIPER, an autonomous institute set up by
the Union ministry of chemical and fertilizers. RK Gaur, CBI spokesman,
told TOI, "Instead of establishing the department, the NIPER management
started purchasing Scifinder software at higher costs, causing a loss of
crores of rupees to the state exchequer. The software was manufactured
by a US-based company. NIPER purchased it from a Pune-based private
firm, which was also booked. Funds to the tune of Rs 2.25 crore were
given to NIPER."
Sources said the establishment of the department was approved under the
11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) for promoting educational and career
interests of the students. NIPER submitted a proposal to the ministry of
chemicals and fertilizers, demanding Rs 2.72 crore. The ministry
sanctioned Rs 2.25 crore. However, till date, the department has not
been set up.